Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses and Non-Profits

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Why I Decided To Move

For those who do not know me, my name is Kayla, and I am moving to Grand Rapids! I am very excited about this decision, but I wasn't always. This post is how I went about my choice. 

To start, I have spent my last four years in going to school at Eastern Michigan University. Before that I spent 1st through 12th grade at Trenton Public Schools. I have always lived in Southeastern Michigan. 

I moved out to Ypsilanti two years ago with my two wonderful roommates. In January of 2020, I knew I was graduating in April and my lease ended in August. I had to figure out my next step.


I always talked about getting out of Ypsilanti once I graduated. I didn't want to be in this town anymore. Not that there was anything wrong, but I always wanted to travel and move out of the state. 

I looked up jobs in different states. I was making a list of cities I wanted to visit. The future seemed so bright.



Then COVID happened. 

My spirits plummeted with the job market. I planned on staying in Ypsilanti. 

Pre-COIVD, I worked in events, so I lost my job just like the majority of the country. My last (and favorite) semester of college was cut short. I was no longer able to walk at my graduation (and still haven't). On top of all of this, there was obviously sadness with not being able to see my friends and family. 

I didn't want to move on to the next "step" anymore, I wanted to go back. Back to pre-COVID when everything was going right for me. 

Flash forward to July, my best friend of ten years asked me if I wanted to move to Grand Rapids with her. 

It was the first thing that seemed exciting to me in months. I have wanted to move out to Grand Rapids for the past 6 years. I would have moved out there for school if I had a better scholarship. 

I started looking at apartments. I got ecstatic with the idea. 



My best friend and I set up 5 apartment showings. The day that I went out to look at them, everything seemed overwhelming. It wasn't exciting. In fact, I was very scared. 

On my two hour drive home, I finally hit Norton's Flowers on Washtenaw and I finally felt at home. 

That night I was set on staying in Ypsilanti with my current roommate and her boyfriend. 

The next morning, my roommates made the coffee. We all hung out after work. I was so relieved that things felt normal. 



That night I realized, even if I stayed, things wouldn't be the same. 

I would not be living with these two girls, it would be with a couple.  

I would not be in school, I would still be graduated and unemployed. 

COVID would still be a threat, restaurants and bars still wouldn't be open. 

I would still have to deal with change. 

Truly, that is what I was scared of. But guess what. I would still have to deal with it. Whether I stayed or left, I am not in the same stage of life that I was the past two years. I am graduated and starting my career.



As I thought about it more, I realized that Ypsilanti was never my type of area. It was fun, but it is not what I want anymore. 

Grand Rapids was an area I was always drawn to. Most importantly, it was a clean slate. A new challenge. A new chapter. As cheesy as it sounds it is what I was so excited about just months earlier.

I had a moment like JD in Scrubs when he decided to leave Sacred Heart. He says that he will miss all the memories, but he is so excited for the future and what could happen. I had a montage of memories playing in my head, and imagining what the next year would be like. 

I decided to move because I am excited and scared for that next step, but that isn't going to happen if I don't let myself move on. 

I think it is important for all of us to push ourselves right now. I think we all need to mentally take care of ourselves right now. But I hope we don't lose ourselves and our drive in all this fear. 

I am so grateful to have such a strong support system who was able to snap me out of my "funk" and remind me of who I am. 

So the main message: Don't let change make you forget who you are. 
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Monday, July 27, 2020

Hashtag Tips for Companies Starting a Social Media Strategy

Hashtag Tips for Companies Starting a Social Media Strategy



#HashtagBasics

Keep them Short

You want your hashtags to be short and memorable. Longer hashtags are hard to read, so try to stay away from them. 

Have Public accounts

If your social pages are private, users will not be able to find your posts online. On private accounts only your followers or friends can see your posts. Main Message: Turn your accounts public. 

Relevant and specific

Keep your hashtags related to what you are talking about. Do not spiral into 20 hashtags on a post because it starts to get irrelevant and "spammy"

Iliza Shlesinger, my favorite comedian ever, talks about overused hashtags on Instagram. If you haven't seen it check it out here. It is SO funny. Skip in 8 seconds, you will not be sorry. 😉 


#WhyBotherWithHashtags

Be Seen

Hashtags put you in the public eye. New users will be able to find your brand easier. You could use hashtags to gain new followers.

Add To Your Brand

Use hashtags as a branding tool. Hashtags can be added on your posts to bring awareness to promotions or sweepstakes. 

Join the Conversation

Find what others are saying by tracking and using hashtags. Recently, brands have been using #BLM and #blacklivesmatter to be involved in the conversation and show support. This can be less controversial and industry specific (i.e. wedding industry #lovewins).


#HowManyHashtagsAreTooMany

Yes. You can have too many hashtags. Some platforms will see your multiple hashtags as spam and not promote your posts. 

It is important to know how many is too many. 



#HowDoIFindIndustryHashtags

Try Out a Few

First thing to try is going to the search bar on any platform and search to find industry specific hashtags. check out posts and see what hashtags are being used together. 

I highly recommend Instagram. By typing in #(insert whatever here), Instagram shows you which hashtags are commonly used. 




Search What Industry Leaders and Competitors Are Doing

Check out what your competitors and industry leaders are doing. What do you like? Dislike? How are their interactions with different hashtags? These are the questions to ask. Then try things out and experiment. 

Look From Your Past

Data doesn't lie. Your highest performing posts went well for a reason. Look back on those to try to replicate and expand on what you are doing right!
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Friday, July 17, 2020

Start-Ups: Why Should I Blog?

Why Blog Posts Are Worth It

When it comes to startups and non-profits, some people are 100% onboard with blogging or 100% against it. Blogging does take a good amount of time and energy.  

I am hear to tell you why it is worth the investment. 


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Monday, July 6, 2020

5 Way to Optimize Your Google Ads: for Non-Profits & Startups


5 Ways to Optimize Your Google Ads: for Non-Profits & Startups

By Kayla Henneman


This post is for all the small startups and overworked non-profits. You have made the decision to advertise on Google, but don’t have the time or man power to perfecting it. Here are tips that you can implement today and see results on how to optimize your smart campaigns.



First of all: What is a smart campaign? 


A smart campaign is an ad you set up and then Google does the rest for you. That is why it is important to put in the correct information so the campaign does what you want.


The major benefits of Smart Campaigns are their ability to show off your products/services and attract potential customers. It is easy to set up and make adjustments afterwards. Below are tips on how to optimize your ads to get you results. 


How to Build Credibility & Get Clicks: 


1.) Landing Pages: Choose Wisely


    The landing page is the first impression someone gets of your brand. Most of the time on Google, people are going for quick, quick, quick. Very few people will search your website for the information.
    Be smart, choose the best landing page for what your customers need.

Main Takeaway 1: Don't use your Homepage for all your ads. Use the page that will add the most value for your customer/user.
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